By Kelvin Cowans
Crystal Foster is a woman who was forced into community activism. After the killing of her brother Edward Foster at the hand of Law Enforcement she immediately jumped into action as a make-shift investigator. As well, simultaneously she became the caregiver/mother of her deceased brother six children. Another hashtag which seemingly births yet another rose to have to grow through the concrete. This time into the area of Miami and its heat of injustices. With the last name woman and first name super, lets meet Crystal Foster.
Kelvin Cowans(K.C.): Who is Crystal Foster?
Crystal Foster: Crystal Foster is a woman who is broken by tragedies that happen in my life. I went from being in a house fire with burns on seventy five percent of my legs and having to learn to walk again. As well as later trying to have children and couldn’t and having to dealing with the in vitro process. Going through obstacles early in my life and now the ones I’m currently dealing with have shaped who I am today. I am an unapologetically strong, powerful person today defending the pain for others who do not have the platform to speak their truth.
K.C.: What is your brand “We Stand 4 Justice” all about?
Crystal Foster: We Stand 4 Justice is truly the meaning of “we.” There’s no fight in “i”. We cannot fight in the community, demand change or apply pressure to be a voice without the coalition of people. I felt like a lot of people in this world today are in it for themselves. I now realize that there are a lot of politicians that are always in it for themselves. But I found out that you cannot make change without the people. So, it’s us together, making change and providing the justice for the people. We have been left behind and fighting for the people for over four hundred years. In order to be productive there has to be a “we.”
K.C.: What was the exact event that got you into activism?
Crystal Foster: In August of 2012 my sister-in-law Lakisha Lampley was killed in a drive by shooting outside a night club. That was when I was able to identify with the meaning of “see something, say something.” I could see how people witness these shootings and don’t say anything. Behind that killing it was hard for my brother, Edward Foster, to raise all of his children on his own. Then just three years later he also was killed in July of 2015 by a Homestead Police Officer, Anthony Green who said he was answering a call of a man with a gun. All we had of the story at the time was that my brother was walking to the store to get dog food and the officer rolled up to him in his squad car and said something to him. Witnesses said my brother took out running and ran to the back of the store where he and other officer’s followed and shot him multiple times and at least once in the back, killing him. The details and lack thereof forced me into activism. In particular for me to read Officer Greens Report/History and to know that my brother was his third killing of suspects was heart breaking.
K.C.: This placed and propelled you in a position of both a make-shift mother and activist at the same time. What kind of life is that?
Crystal Foster: In the beginning it was extremely hard because I’ve never had a child. I’ve never changed diapers or made milk. I didn’t know how to do all of those things or how to be a mom. I was forced to be a mom to these beautiful children. The youngest at the time was only 10 months old, just a baby. Looking back, I can now say that it was a blessing because it changed my life and made me understand the values of life. They brought me patience and forced me to assist other mothers that were going through the same situation I was going through.
K.C.: Tracking behind Law Enforcement Officers or over stepping them to find left out truths in a case isn’t easy or cowardly work.
Crystal Foster: Exactly, I learned that there is a lot of corruption in this fight. But I set out and looked for the witnesses that the Police never even looked for and provided them for authorities. I hired a private Detective to get my brothers body pictures from the morgue. I started hustling on the streets to get documents on my brother’s case because we didn’t have anything on it for like six years. No one wanted to sit with us. There were indeed cameras near the shooting but no one mentioned the cameras so I had to go to city council meetings to demand action in this case and to get certain things released to the public. Visuals are very important to your case and I realized that a lot of people don’t know these things and are vulnerable to these processes. It’s also the time when the local politicians come into your life to try and change the narrative and get information that they can send to the chief of police and their attorney’s office. They would ask all of the negative questions so that they may use them against you, such as, have your brother ever been shot, and things of that nature.
K.C.: As I prepared this article I pondered upon the recent tragedy in my hometown of Memphis Tennessee and the disgusting Law Enforcement Murder of Tyre Nichols. The way the police stopped both your brother and Tyre Nichols subsequently escalating their interactions from zero to a hundred in seconds are eerily mirrored. With only a couple of primary differences it feels like your brother was another Tyre Nichols just before Tyre Nichols. For community’s sake, let’s pretend one of our readers had a family member killed by police, what are the exact first few steps we should take to stand for their justice.
Crystal Foster: It is important to mobilize and organize and connect with the people, you have to move people into action.
- Hire a private detective to take pictures of your loved one’s body before they embalm the body.
- Get a statement and contact information from every witness you encounter. List the time, date and take their business cards.
- Go through the neighborhood to see who has cameras and collect the footage.
- Go to the city and ask for that police officer Police Records/History
K.C.: When I grew up, I use to watch this TV Show called Superman. Superman was actually two people. He was actually a journalist named Clark Kent and when people were in trouble he’d go into a phone booth, change his clothing and become Superman who had super powers to save the troubles of the day. My question to you is if no tragedy had befallen you, do you still go into that phone booth to change into the Crystal you are today and save the day? Superman did, when often absolutely nothing was happening to him directly, but would you have?
Crystal Foster: That’s a really good question. That’s a deep question. Prior to 2020, I have to say no. I had no intimate knowledge of politics. I would’ve had no knowledge of the issues that were occurring in our community. When 2020 hit with George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor being murdered, yes, I would have marched but without the tragedy of the killing of my sister-in-law in 2021 and the killing of my brother in 2015 I can’t say that I would’ve changed my life to activism. It hit so close and so hard it made me prioritize it.
Noteworthy:
- January 1, 2021 Crystal Foster helped get Body Cameras placed on Police Officers of Homestead Florida Police Department
- June 16, 2021, Crystal Foster was able to get news media to cover several gun violence cases. She also became the first person to have the community, several police departments, along with University of Miami Head Football Coach Manny Diaz and Team as well as Miami Heat NBA players to do a March against gun violence in the Miami area.
- Crystal Foster Nieces and Nephews: Edward IV, 22, Johnathan 19, Asia 15, Nevaeh 12, Messiah 10, Alexander 8
Crystal Foster can be reached on Facebook or by Email: westand4justice@outlook.com)
Kelvin Cowans can be reached by Email:(kelvincowans@hotmail.com or Instagram @sixfour901)
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